Redux
by Shinzoku
Summary: Very few of the divine gods remember life before the world had spiraled into nothing. But now they are on a new world, thriving better than they ever have before, and in their new human forms. They are new to this world, but these are their stories.
1. Redux

Often times he preferred to keep away from the humans and let them deal with their own well-beings. He would step in when things went awry and his beautiful land would be brought back to life within years, or days depending on the situation. But as he looked down upon the world, his heart fell. In all of his time alive—longer than any other being in the world—he had never stumbled upon a world so beautiful as Earth. His creatures, Pokemon as the mortals called them, and the humans lived in harmony together, though in its lifetime he had seen countless wars. People would enslave these creatures, or torture them, or abandon them and break their hearts. Through all of this, however, this world was still his favorite. All of his favorite creations were there; all of the divine creatures he and his partners had conjured up in the millions of years they lived together in that world.

With a heaving sigh that caused a burst of wind to rattle the trees on earth, he lowered his head in a sign of defeat. The humans had advanced too far. They had slain too many Pokemon, enslaved too many of his divine creatures, and destroyed the beautiful land in favor of building farther and farther out. As he galloped across the sky of the earth, he could only find little patches of green where the Pokemon now lived if they managed to live at all.

One by one his divine creatures had fallen. Regigigas had been morphed back into his statue-like form and was chained down with a new invention of the humans. Latias and Latios had been slain together for their feathers and Lugia continued to mourn for their loss to that very day. Jirachi had not risen from his sleep in three or four millennia, choosing not to let his crystals shine in the light of the comet. Mew was so downtrodden that he wept never ending tears. Kyurem had passed away a thousand years ago when his twins Reshiran and Zekrom were taken control of and forced to fight to the death; when their ending blows were charged at each other, the old dragon had been standing in the middle. The creator had no idea what happened to Regigigas' four children. He was still, to this day, looking for where the four Musketeers took refuge. Kyogre and his mother openly wept with each other for the loss of Groudon and the Prince of the Sea, Manaphy. He was too late to stop it, having gone into one of his forsaken 'naps', sleeping for years without making so much as a twitch. It was his curse for creating everything around him, for when he ran out of energy, it had to replenish. Eventually his life would end, as would the universe, and all of his energy would collapse in on itself, but from that combusting energy would form a new egg, his child. How long had this cycle been in place? Would his child, or his reincarnation, recreate Giratina, Dialga, Palkia, Uxie, Mespirt, and Azelf, his children and family? Would history repeat itself in a cycle over and over? Would the next Arceus be as imaginative, creative as he had been? There were too many questions of which he did not know.

Unfortunately he was not immortal. Only old age could stop him, when he ran out of energy to continue creating. But he created things before his sleep, refuges for when situations such as this happened. This world he looked at would now continue on without him; it was disappointing, sure, but the sun was going to combust in a rather short time in his point of view anyway and everything would be gone. Across the galaxy however was a new planet, still going young and evolving much like his planet Earth had. They were still water creatures, leaving room for development. But… He could not leave his creations. Each and every one of them, well, they were his family. An extended family beyond the six he had borne so long ago. They were his favorite and they served him the best out of dozens of other planets, and so he could not abandon them. Only the humans, who had once been his favorite and had now only failed him and disappointed him.

Well, he would start over. He galloped down into the region the humans had dubbed Sinnoh; to him, it was the Origin where the Hall of Origins resided. Perhaps it was still Sinnoh today, or maybe a war had split it into two regions much like Johto and Kanto had been split down the middle shortly after their settlement. He let out a breath of fresh air in the dank, polluted skies and touched his golden hooves to the marble white floor below him. Long ago when he was in his previous cycle of sleep, a group of humans had discovered his hall and in battle with Giratina, who was simply protecting his birth place, destroyed it. He had not the heart to restore it to its previous state and so he stood in the rubble, looking about it with a disheartened look in his complimentary red-green eyes. He kicked over a rock that had once been part of a beautiful pattern on the floor. It revealed the cold silver eyes of Lugia and the one next to it had a color of green close to Rayquaza's skin color. Had he been able to, he would have wept.

"What are you up to?"

He looked up suddenly, meeting the eyes of a tiny pink cat who floated weakly in the air. "Nothing," he muttered. "Absolutely nothing." He felt his heart wrench.

Mew sniffed halfheartedly and his ears dropped. Even his tail did not hold the usual vigor it once had. "I just got news that Celebi retreated into the past. He…he says that now his forest is destroyed, there is no reason to be here." He wiped a tear off his cheek. "Dialga will miss him greatly."

His heart fell. "My poor grandson," he muttered, his head lowering once again in defeat. With the stress of his world on his shoulders, his hooves no longer shined a brilliant gold. They were dull, like the old color of fake gold, and his mane shimmered like a flag at half mast. He looked up at Mew again and nuzzled him when he hunched over, covered his face with his hands, and sobbed. The creator willed the golden wheel around his stomach to disappear and he lay down and allowed Mew to take a rest between his horns.

"I am going to start over, Mew."

"What—what do you mean? Why not restore the world back to what it once was? Can't you do that?"

"It would be a minor inconvenience, but my energy right now is limited. I have a world far away, and though it is not named yet, I have created it for times like this. And because this is my favorite world, all my divine creations are to come with me."

Mew smiled weakly. "You still use that old term? Why not Legendary?"

"It is such a frail and weak word, an understatement if you will, of our true power. The humans can comprehend little of what we can. But fear not, in this world, I will even bring over your creations. I love these Pokemon with all my heart, but I love the humans too. I was thinking about…mixing the two together. Hybrids, if you will. They will not be able to switch between their Pokemon and human forms, like we have been able to, but will be the Pokemon we know and love. A human Charizard, or a human Pikachu. Designed like our human forms to look like our divine forms, but human enough to blend in with ease. What do you say, Mew? Would you like that?"

The cat sniffed and draped its tail between his horns, waving the plump end around in front of his eyes like a toy. "That would be swell," he said, "but what of us? Or, the others at least? Me and you and Regigigas and your children are creatures of the universe. The others are connected to this world. They will…they will…forget everything."

He lowered his head in a nod and brought it back up to look at a stray cloud in the sky. "They will have to die and start anew." As he stood, the wheel came back, and above his head was a glowing light. The bricks around him and the destroyed marble lifted and rebuilt itself, but it was only a vision of the past. Divine creatures began to appear one by one if they were there that very moment; only one Mewtwo as her brother had been destroyed, Lugia, Zapdos, Ho-Oh, Suicune, Entei, Kyogre, Raqyauza, Reshiram, Zekrom, only one of the Musketeers named Virizion, and two Darkrais, a father and a son, for their wife and sister had been locked away and kept as dream catchers until they died. The few creatures still alive looked around, having only been summoned in such a way once before. They looked scared, lonely, and sad, as if they could see the real state the Hall of Origin was in. Out of the shadows came his two oldest children, Dialga and Palkia, who took their spots next to their father, and floating above his head were the three little pixies. His youngest, Giratina, had fled into the Distortion World to feast of the souls of the reaped.

Mew floated over to his daughter and shifted into his human form, wrapping his stiff arms around her so tight she could have suffocated. He sobbed into her shoulder, babbling about how he was so glad she was still alive, and refused to let her go; she in turn hugged him back and closed her eyes in peace.

"Why have you called us?" Lugia rasped. "Have you finally brought mercy upon us while all of our brethren have died?"

Two others nodded in agreement. The divine creator shook his head.

"I never wished for this to happen. The humans have advanced too fast. They have taken over everything and have left us with nothing, ignoring the tales of old. We have nothing left here."

Virizion stomped his hoof. "What about a Jewel of Life?" he asked. "Could it not bring flourishing life back to the cities that now span the entirety of the land?"

His complimentary red-green eyes stared at the green creature who looked so much like himself. He finally shook his head and looked about the room. "I will give you all a choice," he said slowly, deliberately. "I can use all my remaining power this session to create a Jewel of Life and then give it to Mew to bring life back to where it once was. I will fall into another deep sleep. However, none of your friends will be revived. Laitas and Latios will stay dead. Regigigas and his children will be nothing but statues. When I return, things will be even worse if my Jewel is not used in a specific way. Regigigas and a special man were the only two to have gotten it right."

Heaviness settled on the shoulders of the living. Mew swallowed and looked back, clinging to his daughter as if she were his lifeline to the world.

"What is your other option?" Entei rumbled.

"I will use my remaining power to take you and your fallen brothers and sisters to a new world across the galaxy. You will be reborn anew, but in a human form. The only thing is…once I sever your souls from this world, you lose all of your memories. You will perhaps have the same personalities, but maybe your histories and origins will not be the same. Your families may be different. What I am trying to get at, is we can start a new world. We don't have to stay here anymore."

Mew looked down at Mewtwo. "How will my children be born, then?" he breathed. He neglected to tell anyone that he would be allowed to keep his memories, as he was born in the same explosion that created the beautiful god in front of him. "They were manmade."

"Maybe in this new world, the mechanics are different. Maybe they will actually be yours, and not created from man. Maybe they will be born from you, like mine were from me."

He looked uncomfortable with that notion, but nodded. "I like this idea," he began. "Celebi, Jirachi, Meloetta, Xerneas, Yveltal…they'll all be back. Isn't that what you lot pine for every day?"

Kyogre and Lugia let out terribly sad songs. It tugged at the creator's heartstrings so bad that a single tear fell. He had convinced himself he could no longer cry.

"I accept this," Virizion said, defeated. He bowed and took a step back into the circle of Legendaries. He looked to have been crushed more than the others as the creator could feel the rejection radiating from his body. "I was born in this world. I protect this world. I do not wish to leave, but…I miss Cobalion and Keldeo."

"They are…gone?" the creator asked, confused.

He nodded. "Unfortunately. They died in a wild fire trying to protect a group of children. Me and Terrakion left after and hid in a far off cave in Unova's Victory Road where no one could possibly find us."

"And Aritcuno and Moltress, Lugia? What happened to them?"

"Moltress drowned. Articuno was captured. It set the world off balance, but in your sleep you shifted it so that the balance was back and their absence was no longer noticed."

The creator's heart fell even further. He looked to Ho-Oh. "Raikou? Where is he?"

She shook her big, feathery head and held her wings around her like a blanket.

"Deoxys? Where is Deoxys?"

"Fled back into space. All of them," Mew answered.

He looked around the remaining divine creatures. His wheel disappeared again and he stumbled to lay down. Things were grimmer than he had thought. "Where is Heatran? Victini? My three Forces of Nature?"

Darkrai floated forward, his cold blue eye staring into the creator's very soul. "Heatran has not been 'considered' a Legendary for years now. She was trapped in a cave in and disappeared. Victini could no longer enjoy the battles he wished to participate in and dissolved when the very thing he stood for disappeared. No one has seen the genies for…a long time."

Mewtwo pushed away from Mew. "My Genesect and the Genesect that you have recognized as a Legendary have been taken away from me. They were brought to a lab and disassembled. I want to leave this forsaken land of men and women." Murmurs of agreement followed.

The creator swallowed. He rested his head on the ground and closed his eyes, having not been aware of all these deaths and disappearances. He only let a few more tears fall, far more than he had let in the past few billion years, but this was beyond anything he had felt before. The building began to crumble now and the Legendaries faded into nothing. Mew changed back into his Pokemon form and laid beside the creator.

"When are you going to do it?" Mew asked, drawing circles into the ground with his tail. "When will I be able to see my son again?"

"I do not know, Mew. I am gathering the rest of my energy now. Sleep sounds so good right now." He stood up and took off into the air, his wheel reappearing as it always did. Mew followed him as fast as he could and did not stop, not even when they were in space. The creator shot a brilliant light into the sky; it fanned out across the world and lit it up in a pure-white light. Mew shook his head to clear his thoughts and floated beside the god in a bubble, watching the light disappear into the earth. One bye one the divine creatures started appearing, even ones that had died long ago like Latias and Latios. The creator stood in waiting, glancing at each one as they appeared, ignoring their questions for now if only because they would not remember.

He looked at all of his creations, some of them not even his own! Regigigas had created Shaymin and the Regi Trio, while Ho-Oh had created the three Legendary Beasts from the rubble of a tower. So many of them had no been his own, but he loved them and cherished them. Now he threw his head to the sky with his last remaining energy and all of his creations, even Mew, disappeared from site.

When next he opened his eyes, his hooves touched the snow-white sand of a beach. His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground. His hooves shifted into hands and feet. Cool water rushed over his legs and pulled back into the ocean, which was tugging back and forth from two separate moons. He turned his head and saw a beautiful sapphire sky as he smiled ever so slightly. His eyes began to close in peace.

"Hey—hey! No, stay awake, please. You can't leave me alone." His body was shifted, lifted into the air. "Arceus, please, you can't leave me alone. You can't…"

* * *

_**Shinzu**_: Okay the last time I tried to write a prologue for my AU world, it didn't go so well. I deleted it and rewrote it, so hopefully this works!


	2. The Sleeping God

One city. That was it; there was one city in the entire world, and it was the fated city that the creator Arceus arrived at so many years ago. Pristine, white buildings shot into the air and shined with golden accents that attracted visitors from the dozens of villages scattered throughout. The cobblestone streets led this way and that in a perfect grid, the embodiment of the mind of the creator, who none had ever seen before. Every night the two moons met side by side above and then continued on their own ways, illuminating the buildings so brightly that it became a beacon. Young Bellossum loved to dance in downtown and often groups of Kabutops and Omastar brought their children up from the ocean to relax on the snow-white shore without fear that their children were at risk of dying. It was perhaps the biggest, most famous area in the entire world, but sometimes a strange darkness lingered over it. Out of the corner of one's eye, they could faintly see the outlines of two enormous, red-clawed wings, though when they looked at it fully on, they were not there. This feeling caused the people within to become unsettled, but it rarely lasted more than a few days and before long, many of them were used to it. But what was it?

People thought of it as the evil in everyone's hearts. Aerodactyl soaring through the skies complained about their energy being drained when they neared. Only one person knew who it was and that person had never shown his face to the outside world. He took refuge in the biggest building, the bell tower, where dozens of rooms led off into other places, just like the Halls of old. Through one door he could reach the jungles, and in the other, he was at the bottom of the ocean. Because of his abilities, he was allowed to leave without anyone knowing, but he was scared. So scared, shy, timid, and lonely that he kept to the highest areas of the tower, watching over the door where inscribed in Unown was the name 'Arceus'. Day by day he would pass the door, glancing over it with cold blue eyes. He wished that the being inside would rise; this city was build for him solely by the fair-skinned man with sharp features that prowled the halls in agony. He wanted to see the creator rise and was desperate to have a friend again, but he had lost track of time and had forgotten since the old world how long the creator always slept.

His friend, The Colossal One, sometimes visited, but he was tired and had reshaped a piece of the world when he was still young. Besides him, the man had no one else to talk to, and so he sat at the window seat, his knees drawn to his chest, and staring out at the beautiful dancers that walked the streets and the Ludicolo bellowing loudly their joyous songs. It was a day like this when he felt a pressure in his chest settle like the beginnings of a bout of anxiety. He watched the stairs with a careful eye and hardly welcomed the man that finally made himself known.

"Has my father awoken?"

He shook his head, tracing his fingers in circles along the windowpanes. His breath misted the glass and molded to the prints he had left. "As always, no. I am unsure when he will wake up; this is the longest, if I remember correctly. Though I do not much; I was promised to retain my memories, and yet I ended up with less."

"All of us have," the newcomer said, sitting heavily beside the man at the window. While the other was leaning against the window on his side, he sat with his feet firmly against the ground, his hands clasped between his knees, and his head hanging. Blond hair tumbled down beside his shoulders in dire need of a haircut and a good styling. But the first man knew that this newcomer preferred it when the creator styled it. Arceus was the only person who had gotten it right. "I have been remembering much more than before, however. I suppose this is just taking its toll on us and we will remember soon. At least, those of us that can."

"No matter. I would prefer to keep those memories locked away, if possible. Most of them at least. Millions of years we have been here, and yet there has been no sign from your creator. No sign from the Colossal One that anything is to happen. We are stagnant."

"Give it time, my friend. We will flourish once more. I remember back in our old homeland, when I was born, the world was much like it is today. Very few people have evolved. We are still ancient, if you understand what I mean. It was as I grew up that things began to change, and that was when my father had the most energy. He is like a child, Mew. Always thinking, always coming up with new things, with a never ending imagination. One time, I remember, I saw him so excited with the idea of Regigigas he could not rest for days, planning just how to make him look and act and think and perform. When he is in the peak of alertness…"

The other nodded, breathing heavily against the glass. He rubbed the cloud with his shoulder until the glass was clean and then looked in front of him at the newcomer. "He has not awoken since we moved here. Constellations have been found and diminished in the time he has been asleep."

"Dear Mew, you underestimate the power it takes to bring so many creatures, ideas, and designs over to a new world. When my father created the Distortion World, he created an almost exact replica of what we had seen and constantly pumped power into it to keep it looking much like the clear world. He was exhausted. He is a god, but a…strange one. He is not immortal. He is a species from somewhere none of us can comprehend. My father will take as long as he needs, I promise you that!"

But a hard look settled on his face. Mew shifted so he was sitting beside the man and gently took his hand. "What is wrong? Do you need to speak to him? I have not seen you so worried since you fled our homeland so long ago."

"My older sister, Mesprit, is sick, Mew. She is so sick we fear that she may die. We have no idea how long we have until her energy is faded, and my father is the only person who could possibly know what is going on." He looked at Mew with upturned brows and such a sad look in his red-on-black eyes that Mew was given flashbacks of the time back on Earth, when Arceus had decided to change worlds. This man was so much like Arceus…

Mew swallowed and stood up, his light pink shoes tapping lightly against the marble floors. "I have not been in the room since I created the building." He at least remembered that clearly. It was terrifying. He stumbled across the sands, weak, disoriented, and unable to get a grip with his shoes until he shifted his form into one of the Pokemon he had known before. When he stumbled upon his creator knee-deep in water, he thought he was a goner and that he had used up too much energy. He dragged him miles out into the grasslands surrounding the area and from there came the building. Because he could change into whatever creature he pleased, he was able to tap into some of the creator's unused energy and build it within moments with a clear idea of the layout in his mind. To be honest, Mew found it terrifying. Arceus looked so frail and weak he feared he would not survive. When he placed the creator in a bed and surrounded him with warm, clean sheets, he had hoped it would help, but apparently not. He cleared his throat. "Perhaps we may go in and take a look? If that is what you would like."

The man cocked an eyebrow at the little Mew. "Are you admitting to have never checked on my father? Have you wandered these halls for no reason but to pass time?"

Ashamed, the man looked down, clenching his fists. He shook his head, light pink hair flopping wildly about, having been haphazardly chopped with an old knife. "I'm scared. I'm scared I'll never see my family again or enjoy life as I once had. I toy with the evolution of the organisms should I pine for entertainment. I guess I'm no better than the scientists that… That…"

And suddenly, the man engulfed Mew, pulling him up in a hug so few received from him. "Do not worry, you are the Gift of Life! Mew, this is what you have been created for, do not fear over that. You do it much more naturally than those scientists could have ever dreamed. You do not require painful needles and wires and long-forgotten, tortured test subjects."

Mew sighed and nodded against the man's chest. "Thank you. Let's go…let's go see if your father shall awake."

When they touched the door knob, dozens of pure Unown popped out, giggling at them with their innocent, child-like voices. Mew watched them rip open an area of space and disappear, for they did not belong in this world. No pure Pokemon did.

"That is not a good sign," said the other grimly. He grasped the doorknob in Mew's place and from his back spread red-clawed wings of death and darkness. He braced himself as one would for an oncoming battle and threw the door open, shoved Mew behind him as a torrent of Unown exploded from the room with such force they were blown backwards. Mew shot off into the air, his tail dragging behind him as he turned down a corner and hid in one of the doors, a desert, keeping the door opened just slightly as the entire room turned black and white with Unown. A roar shook the single door that stood against a mountain cliff and frightened the Unown until they scrambled.

The blond, dark-skinned man was dragged down the hall from the force of the Unown pushing against him. He stood with his legs out and bent, his back slouched, his arms crossed over his face, but he slid farther and farther back.

"Let me see my father!" he cried. "Relax you _devilish_ beings! It is I, Giratina!"

And just like that, the magic word was said. The Unown stopped and sank into the ground, causing the marble to ripple like the surface of water. Mew lightly pushed open the door with wide, curious eyes and his lips parted. "How did you do that?" he asked. "Is it simply because you are his son?"

"It is his natural defense system, and you are correct. Come on, I must go inside." Giratina's boot clomped heavily against the ground as he headed for the door with the name 'Arceus' written on it. He opened the door again and this time, there were no Unown. The room was wide-open in a circle, with a pattern on the ground depicting all of the divine creatures; it was the exact same one that had been in the Hall of Origin before it was destroyed. At the opposite end of the room was a four-post bed with white sheets and a single, plump pillow. There was one widow above the bed and a chandelier high above with golden chains reaching from the middle to the walls. Mew peeked out from around Giratina and gingerly took a step forward, afraid to take a step on the beautiful pattern on the floor.

He looked at Giratina. His wings were now gone and his sharp face was staring straight at the bed. He rushed over and took his father's hand. Mew stopped beside him. Arceus was the same as he had ever been; literally nothing about him had changed in the millions of years he had slept.

"Father, can you hear me?" Giratina rasped. His entire being trembled. "Father, please, it is important. We have a problem with Mesprit, we do…we do not know how long she is to live. Please, you must help us. Father?"

But Giratina got no answer. Mew stood in the back, watching with sadness as Giratina mumbled to his father, urging him to awaken. He had so longed to see his father again that he could not be pried away; all their previous disagreements, the accidental destroying of a portion of the Hall of Origin, banishing Giratina to the Distortion World, it had been forgotten. Giratina had started new just as Arceus had wanted them to, and now he could not leave his father's presence. He just could not.

Mew rested a hand on Giratina's shoulder. "Bring Mesprit here," he said. Suddenly he stiffened. Unown seeped in through the walls, but there were only twenty eight of them. Giratina readied himself for a fight, but these Unown were different. They all had white skin, golden eyes and cheery little smiles. They rearranged themselves; in the middle of the room, a group of them spelled I HEAR YOU. Giratina let Arceus' hand fall gently back against his abdomen.

"When… When will you be awake?"

The Unown separated and the question mark appeared where the others had been. Giratina shook his head, sinking steadily into the ground. He disappeared with a cold look in his red-on-black eyes and the strange darkness surrounding the city lifted. Mew pat the O Unown that floated up to him, trying to ease the sad, distressed look in its single eye. The white ones began to disappear again and melded perfectly with the wall; when they closed their eyes, they disappeared completely.

Mew brushed a lock of pink hair behind his ear and stood in the middle of the room. His heart had been empty for a long time, and as he looked at the divine creatures depicted on the beautiful floor pattern, a deep longing settled in his chest. He gripped the edge of his jacket, his tail hanging limp, and closed his eyes. A heart-wrenching sob left his mouth. Before he could cause any more pain to himself, he sprinted out of the room, locking the door shut behind him. He leaned against it and slid to the floor, covering his face with his tiny, but nimble, fingers.

He lost track of how long he had been sitting there, sobbing his heart out. When he looked up, the white Unown popped out of the walls. They floated around and giggled to him and hauled him to his feet.

The divine creature tore away from them and looked to his left to avoid their gaze. His fists clenched. "Millions of years I have been here, and you only just now decide to make yourselves known?" He bared his sharp canine teeth. "Why do you show yourself now!"

They flew around to form words. Mew, who had not read much since he was a child, fought to read with how fast they were changing shape and making new words.

I AM TIRED they said. WAS TOO EXHAUSTED TO HAVE POWER TO SUMMON MY SERVANTS.

Mew shook his head, covering his face with his hands. "Arceus, please help us," he pleaded. "I have waited millions of years for you to return. Your daughter is sick. She needs help."

But the Unown blinked at him and sank into the walls once more. He tried to ignore the empty feeling in his chest, but it was building up as if he had eaten a large meal—made him sick, felt it rising in his chest and throat. Arceus had to come back soon; he could not leave Mew alone forever, no, they were too good of friends for that to happen. Would Arceus remember that they were friends? What if he had been asleep for so long that he remembered nothing? The workings of a god's mind were confusing.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Mew asked, looking with his pale face and pale blue eyes to the last stretch of hall where a flight of stairs resided. They were covered in dust, having never been traveled on before as Mew preferred the doors, but they led right to outside. They were the only exit to the city. But he trembled, for he had never—ever—been out in the city before. From the moment the city had been created, he had hid, listening to the bell chime twenty eight hours a day. He had lost track of time forever ago.

If anything, he supposed the others would need his support. He was no replacement for Arceus, but they were equals, and as such they should listen to him. He lifted into the air and shot down the stairs. At two large, round double doors, Mew stopped, resting his frail and nimble fingers on the cool surface. Everything he had built in Arceus' image—golden and white with accents of green and red. It looked like the Hall of Origin, too, though if Arceus did not want that kind of nostalgia, he could change it. It brought Mew relief to touch something that felt so much like his old home…

His hands disappeared. Mew became invisible, a part of his countless abilities, and he phased through the door. The wind—he had not felt the wind in forever. It was cool and crisp, blowing in from the ocean. The potted palm trees lining the sidewalks were tinged in orange. He stood in the middle of the empty sidewalk, knowing that at this time of day, no one came. Three in the afternoon, for some reason, had been deemed 'sacred' and no one dared travel the block around the bell tower until it was at least four or five. For now, Mew was safe.

_I have not felt the sun on my arms nor the wind in my face for millions of years. At least, not in this city_. He looked at his hands, or would have had he been visible.

"I see you have finally come out of hiding, dear Mew." And then Giratina appeared out of nowhere. A heaviness fell upon the city. "I have been waiting for your presence. It is brave of you to venture outside to a world of which you are unfamiliar. Come with me and I will gladly show you where we now live."

Mew tapped his index fingertips together and swished his tail along the ground. "I don't know if I should. I need to stay and protect the tower."

"Do tell me—who has dared try to break in in all the time it has been around? Who has dared venture to the higher parts of the tower, of which are considered the origin of my father's birth?" Giratina took Mew's hands and stared into his innocent blue eyes with his own red-on-black eyes. "Come with me and I promise I will return you before long. If you are unhappy, my sister will gladly bend time to return you to this very spot."

He swallowed. "Where are you living?" he asked. "Are you with Regigigas?"

"Regigigas is timid and lonely, and so we leave him to his own activities. We chose a home in the mountains, where we know the villagers do not dare to cross."

Suddenly Mew was dragged into the ground. Everything around him was dark. He felt like he was rushing all over the place, turning left, turning right. His stomach churned, wind buffeted his face. Thousands of little village homes disappeared before his eyes and then in the blink of an eye, everything was covered in snow. Giratina placed him on the ground and knelt next to him, holding him in a sitting position until he got his bearings back. He looked at Mew with cold eyes and stood up; in the time they had been traveling, he had acquired winter gear, but it all still looked like his old clothes.

Mew, too, had winter gear on. He stumbled to his feet, holding his tail out straight to steady himself. "Where…what?" he slurred.

"I'll help you up here," Giratina said, grabbing Mew's upper arm with a strange gentleness one would not expect from a lord of the dead and antimatter. He took to a flight of stairs made crudely out of brick and came to the crest of a small mountain dwarfed by others. Mew breathed in the cold, refreshing air, his blue eyes looking out at the expanse of snow and mountains and rock that spread out for miles around him. It even continued to the horizon and past that. The sky was pure sapphire blue. There was not a single cloud.

"This place is…beautiful."

"Do you see what you are missing out on, cooped up in that bell tower all day?" Giratina inquired. "But yes, we made our home here after wandering around and searching for a few years." He stuffed his hands inside his coat pockets. His scarf billowed out behind him, tipped with red accents. "But, come, Dialga and Palkia expect me back soon."

"There is no house around."

"Who said we actually built a house here? Follow me." He turned, brisk, and walked straight into the side of a mountain. Mew followed him, slipping and sliding in the snow. As to not smash his face accidentally into the rocks, he tested by reaching out an arm, watching as it went straight through the mountain side as if it were nothing but an illusion. He took a step through, entering a cozy, warm little room. In the corner was a bed where blankets were pulled up to the chin of a little girl.

Mew's brow furrowed and he rushed over. Her hair was ratted and tangled and her eyes looked sunken in, even when they were closed. He pulled off a pink glove and touched her cheek, shuddering at the sheer coldness that jostled his spine. The lamp in the corner was clicked on and he noticed in the corner a bookshelf of old Sinnoh tales, a shelf of plush animals, and a wide pink rug.

The Being of Antimatter stood beside him, having shed his coat. His arms were crossed and his face became unreadable. Without a word, he shook his head and left the room, walking through a door.

The poor girl. Mew stared at her sullen face and caressed her cheek. He remembered how long the wait was for her and her siblings to be born; Arceus was restless, and though he had wanted to create them, he was too busy learning the extent of his powers. They had once been a distant dream. Arceus had loved them with every fiber of his being when they finally came to life. This…was not the fate he ever wanted them to have.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered to the girl moments before turning out of the room and following Giratina.

The next room they came to was much bigger. It was two tiered, with a grand staircase leading down to the bottom floor. The railing was made of pure gold, while around the room hung, suspended and frozen in air, images of clocks, gears, and cogs. Mew padded across a blue carpet, afraid that if he was to touch a clock, it would shatter and break. They looked more fragile than a fresh snowflake from the sky. He looked left and right when he got to the light blue and white checkered tile below; for living in a mountain, the home was enormous.

Giratina flopped down on a couch, his arms resting on the back, one leg crossed over the other. He sighed. "Dialga /was/ here before I left. No idea where she is now. This is our, ah, 'entrance' hall, but since we don't get visitors, she opted to make it her own personal little chambers." He gestured for Mew to sit down in one of the many plush chairs. On either side of the hall were enormous fire places, keeping the house warm.

"Oi, I'm here you big lump." She stepped out of the shadows. At one point, she had worn beautiful blue armor with her silvery hair pulled up in three low ponytails, but now she looked, well, empty. Mew adverted his eyes, disliking greatly the empty, desolate feeling in his chest. "I was just making sure Azelf was okay. He misses father greatly. With Mesprit sick, he's starting to lose his will to live."

Mew's gaze snapped to her, his eyes wide. "But he is the Bringer of Willpower."

"That's the ironic thing," she muttered, shaking her head in disappointment. She sat next to Giratina, though on the complete opposite side of the couch, and crossed her arms. However, like her younger brother, she crossed one leg over the other, her snow boots glinting with silvery accents that looked much like claws. "But at least we got one of the minis to come out of hiding. Azelf and Uxie are so disheartened—usually they're the life of the party."

He shook his head, wishing he could hide away in his coat forever. "I guess things can't ever be the same as it formerly was," he suggested, blowing a block of pink hair up and out of his face. "Arceus is still weak. But he is growing in power, at least; he can create hordes of Unown, even these cute little white ones."

Dialga smiled. "I am glad. Father does have a strange liking for those creatures. If he can create his guard system, I'm sure he'll wake up within the year. So close to seeing him again."

Giratina gave a toothy grin. "Our siblings should be happy."

"We'll all be happy," Dialga said. "Or I hope so. Don't go destroying things again."

"Oh hush, I was young a foolish."

"And still are! You are at least a few million years younger than I!"

"Doesn't make you any more mature than Palkia."

"We are twins! We are mature in the same way."

Giratina rolled his eyes and stood up with a heaving sigh. "I am going to see if Palkia is around. I have decided I am going to bring Mesprit to Arceus; perhaps in his vicinity, he will awake and realize just how little time we have left. I don't want to wake him after such an exhausting task, but…"

He shook his head and sauntered away. His foot steps echoed quietly.

Mew willed himself to get up and follow Giratina, but something kept him glued to the chair. His throat was dry and a line of sweat was starting to build up on his forehead, but that was because of his close proximity to the rightmost fireplace, he supposed. He took off his coat and draped it over the arm of his chair, thinking to himself and listening to the cracking fire to rid the awkward feeling in the room. What he really wanted to know was—what was wrong with Mesprit? She was such a lively, feeling divine creature. This state she was in completely betrayed the vision Arceus had for her.

"Dialga, are you still without a clue as to what plagues Mesprit so?"

"Unfortunately. She is only living off the shared willpower of Azelf and the cool water Palkia produces to keep her temperature down and regulated."

"I am every Pokemon. Would you like me to take a look at her?"

"If our efforts combined could not figure out her problem, I don't expect you will be able to either."

He exhaled deeply, though it was not a sigh. He rested his arm on the couch and squashed his cheek with his hand; they should have feared for Mesprit's life, they should have been worried, but when it came to divine creatures, barring Dialga and Celebi, they never really had a sense of passing time. What could feel like a few days could have actually been a thousand years, which is what had exactly happened to Mew during his time in the bell tower. Mew sank into his chair, his arms flat on his lap.

Dialga cocked an eyebrow. "Does something bother you?" she asked. For a female, she had a rather deep voice.

"I'm just worried about Mesprit is all. Don't worry. Don't worry."

Suddenly he spotted a little boy with big, golden eyes. He did not look timid, no, more curious than anything, and hid behind the couch Dialga sat at. He wore simple, light blue pajamas with shirt tails that trailed off to look like the twin tails of his old Pokemon form. Mew smiled at him and urged him forward, but he scowled at Mew and hid behind one of the chairs. He became utterly silent.

"Oh Azelf, it is just Mew. You remember him, don't you?"

"I just want to see dad again. No one else."

"I know you do. Now come out and talk to us, yeah?"

Mew leaned forward to look at Azelf from behind one of the chairs. He crept out slowly, his hard, intense golden eyes staring right at Mew, who smiled weakly. That was the same glare Arceus had—this kid had perfected it!

"If you aren't dad I don't want to speak to you," Azelf said quietly, his fingers gripping the soft cushion of the chair. His knuckles turned whiter than they already were. "Go away!"

"Azelf-!"

Someone cleared their throat. Their gazes snapped to the staircase. Giratina stood at the top, frenzied, with a young girl, about eight years old, in his arms. He hugged her to his chest and shook his head over and over, muttering in a language they no longer spoke. Dialga and Azelf jumped to their feet and flew up the stairs, landing next to Giratina. Azelf was so short he could not see his sister and so he jumped into the air, floating, his shirt tails lashing out about him. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes as he took Mesprit's hand.

Giratina looked at Mew. "We must leave immediately." His voice trembled.

He began to sink into the ground. Darkness pooled around him. Mew jumped up and shot into his little portal at the last moment, grabbing onto one of Azelf's tails. He shut his eyes and braced himself, being shot around at a hundred miles a second. Azelf clung to him and buried his face in Mew's chest, having rarely ever used this method to travel. While Giratina looked fine, despite his frantic aura, everyone was getting nauseous. Mew held it back for Azelf's sake and squeezed him tighter, reveling in finally having some sort of contact with another divine creation.

Mew's feet touched the ground with such force that vibrations wracked his body. He fell to the ground, landing on his side, with Azelf still in his arms and sobbing. Dialga promptly threw up in a nearby bush, heaving until Mew though she would throw up her own guts. The being who brought them there waited, irate and impatient, tapping his foot.

"I'm not waiting," he deadpanned, squinting against the light of the sun. He rushed into the tower, fighting against a horde of Unown that suddenly, without warning, came filing in from above. Gasping, Mew shot into the air, never once letting go of Azelf. Together he and Giratina shot through the halls at blinding speeds and made it up the stairs in record time. Their steps should have echoed in the empty bell tower, but the Unown were making their loud, garbled language and giggles.

Giratina was breathless by the time they got to Arceus' door. Unown were seeping from every wall, crack, and swirl in the white marble. Mew crouched with Azelf in the corner, holding his free hand out; a blast came out of his palm and knocked a frenzy of Unown back into the walls from where they had come. The world around became black and without warning, an enormous blast shook the tower and every single Unown in the building froze still.

Huffing and heaving, Dialga pulled herself up the last of the bell tower stairs. "I wasn't—I wasn't even this sick when—when I had Celebi—oh my—" She collapsed on the ground, her face smashing against the white marble. She groaned, rolled over, curled into a tight ball. "I am never—traveling like that—again—" And then she threw up, right on the pristine marble.

Mew and Giratina's eyes locked. They sprinted to the door, but nearly two yards away, the Unown began to move again. Mew looked over his shoulder; he forced a bubble, Protect, to appear around himself and Azelf. He tried to get to Giratina, but he fared well against the Unown despite them slamming into him, knocking him all about. No matter how many times he shouted that he was Giratina, no matter how much dark antimatter he shot at him, no matter how much he told them he was the last born son of Arceus, they still battered him. Their strange powers were distorting the space around them, slowing down time in some places and speeding it up in others. They swarmed and shouted and sang worse than that time on old Earth when they accidentally created an illusionary Entei from the dreams and wishes of a young girl.

It clicked, then, in Mew's head just what he was. He had not used his transformation abilities in millions of years, since the day he arrived on that world, but it would have to do no matter how rusty he was. His form shifted and grew; he became six feet tall, a slim, yet proper, man with nimble fingers, soft pale skin, and complimentary red-green eyes. White hair billowed out behind him and he slammed into the door (completely on accident, he says on later accounts of this story). He still held Azelf, his fingers digging into his hair, and slid to the floor, staring up at the Unown, his lips pulled into a grimace.

"Stop it!" he shouted in a deep, smooth voice. Azelf looked up at him and nearly cried. "GO!" The Unown halted where they were. Mew gritted his teeth, ready to prepare a weak Judgment, but the creatures scattered back into the walls without another word.

Giratina had stopped to stare at him. Mew had rarely—if ever—took the form of Arceus. He shook his head and opened the door, causing Mew to fall backwards and slam his head into the ground.

The room became eerily quiet without the rush of Unown. Not a scratch had been made anywhere since Mew and Giratina were there that morning. Mew pulled himself up and padded toward the bed; Azelf now had his arms wrapped around Mew's neck, his face buried in his shoulder, sobbing his heart out. His will was almost gone. Giratina walked around the big mosaic on the ground, padding so quietly Mew almost forgot he was there.

"Father, you must help us. Please."

They gathered around the bed. Giratina sat down carefully, Mesprit in his arms. She was not breathing.

"Father, please. Please wake up and help her. She is dying."

Mew set Azelf down on the bed. He crawled up to Arceus and sat on his chest, tears streaming down his face. "Please wake up, dad. We beg of you." He slumped forward, gripping Arceus' shirt weakly, too out of energy and will to continue on any farther.

The two bigger divine creations stiffened, jumping to their feet, their eyes growing wide. One of Giratina's eyebrows twitched as Arceus weakly lifted a hand from the snow-white sheets and rubbed Azelf's back in soothing circles. "Everything will be okay, son," he breathed. Life flowed into the bell tower. The bigger clocks and gears and empty portraits began to turn and fill with pictures of space and other planets. Mew glanced at the chandelier that now glowed soft and pleasant. Giratina, not knowing what to do, placed Mesprit on the bed and took a step back. The last time he and his father had met, they had been on horrible terms with each other. He did not know, Mew assumed, if Arceus was on good terms now.

"I see the problem…" Arceus muttered. He slowly opened his eyes, which started as infinite expanses of space. They faded to his usual red-green eyes and drooped. Still he was tired, but he rolled over regardless, pulling Mesprit into his free arm. "You are tired, aren't you, love? Moving worlds, losing your friends, missing me. Too much for the Bringer of Emotion." He kissed her forehead. "You'll be okay, now."

Giratina and Mew slumped together, letting out sighs of relief.

"I am terribly sorry about the Uno—oh, I have a clone."

Mew grinned sheepishly and shifted back into his regular, pink-clad form. He collapsed against Arceus' bed, resting his head against the sheets. "I'm so glad you're back, sir. We missed you so much."

"I could hear everything you told me." Arceus let go of Azelf as he floated into the air, elated that his father was back. He did loops and loops, running on newfound energy while Arcues now wrapped his arms around Mesprit, who had not yet moved or awoken. But she was breathing, in and out, her chest rising and falling against Arceus'. "I am so sorry I could not awaken sooner. Forgive me, everyone."

There came loud grumbling from the door. Arceus looked up at Giratina, who shrugged.

"It's just Dialga," he said. "She got sick when we tried to get here, and apparently still is."

She used the bed to haul herself up, her face twisted with rage. It suddenly softened at the sight of her father and she smiled weakly. Her face was still green. "Father, you're awake." She reached for his hand and took it gently.

He nodded. "I am still tired, however, and Mesprit needs time to heal. This has stressed her out too much, and so she will need many more days of rest, but the first day with me is critical." She squirmed against her chest, her breathing picking up. Arceus rested his hand on her cheek. "Please, leave us until morning, if you would." Arceus pulled Mesprit to him, burying his face in her soft, pink hair. He pulled the blankets over them and they were still; Arceus had an uncanny habit of falling asleep instantly, and so Mew retreated from the room and took his usual spot at the window seat. The early winter sun was starting to rise now and the bell chimed seven in the morning. Giratina helped Dialga out of the room, her arm wrapped around his shoulder, her face starting to lose now the soft green tinge of sickness. Mew waved to them as they left, his heart filling with glee, and ruffled Azelf's hair when he came to say good bye. He just had to smile and grin now.

"Watch Mesprit for me, 'kay?" Azelf asked, his tiny hands pressing into Mew's thigh. "And dad. Don't let him sleep for another million years, yeah? I'm going to be back in the morning!"

The boy looked so hopeful that Mew just smiled dazzlingly and gave him a hug. Azelf was much more relaxed, the glare in his eyes departed for another day. "Yeah, I promise," Mew said.

"And come visit us! I am sorry I was rude to you earlier." Azelf frowned. Giratina called to him frown down the stairs. "Actually, why don't you come with us now? We can make food! Lots of great food!" He spun in excitement. "It'll be great! I'll even get Uxie and Palkia to help."

Mew's shoulder shook with laughter. "I wish to protect the vicinity of the bell tower one last time," he said. "But I promise, we'll make food together shortly. Now go on, your siblings want you."

He waved to Mew and disappeared down the staircase. Mew looked to his right at the door in the center of a T intersection, watching father and daughter sleep peacefully together. Suddenly, his heart ached. He reached for his chest and dug his nails into the soft flesh under a thin cotton shirt, his blue eyes dark.

When would he see his two children of whom had the same name? He sighed, for only time could tell.

* * *

Shinzu: Whew! This took a few days to write, haha. These stories will probably be pretty random, just a collection of stories about the Legendaries in this world. I guess the main series should I decide to branch off? I do wish to rewrite Only Learn, which is actually set in this world!, and I might do something with Festival of The Sun Goddess, as both of those were highly popular.


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